To bee or not to bee.....

Yesterday was the first day we could legally burn in our area. We had pruned all our fruit and nut trees in Jan. and we had a large pile of limbs to torch. We were moving the pile with our tractor, when suddenly all these yellow jackets come boiling up from the ground! We stepped back and let them calm down and considered the size of the nest- it was massive! The dogs were in the pen so they were safe, but we knew we had to get rid of this nest without toxins.

There are two soaps when boiled down and cooled will kill off yellow jackets, so we went and bought them, grated them up and boiled them down. Turned the sprayer on the nest and the bees were history. I hate these bugs because they are so mean, but I am sad that we had to destroy them. They are capable of eating 225 flies in an hour, and with horses that would be a plus. But they are very aggressive here, and they chase the horses and the dogs and us- so we had to do this. The nest turned out to be quite deep, and in the center of the nest was the remains of a dead animal- a squirrel I had found in the field and buried. Guess that was their meal for quite awhile.

Glad you didnt get stung
Thoses yellow jackets are mean little devils
also glad your other pets are ok as well

...Oh my... ...that sounds scarried!...
I´m allergyc to the poison of the Bees.... ....

I'm not a big fan of bees either..I don't like having to kill them either....but you never know..they could attack you or one of your animals.

Hate yellow jackets, meanest bugs I've ever come across, I don't even think the big black hornets hold a candle to them as far as aggression goes.

Wow, I had no idea that bees ate animals! That is amazing.

I hate spiders, but I can't stand to kill them, either. My husband makes fun of me because I can't even kill a fly (really, I can't). During the summer, we had a few buzzing around the house because we had the door open, and I swiped at one. Well, I actually hit it, and I felt so bad! Poor thing.

But bees can most definetly be dangerous. You had to do what you had to do. I'm glad that this task was accomplished painlessly (is that even a word? )!

Actually bees are very beneficial and there are lots of crops which depend on bee pollination. In fact, the California almond growers are having problems getting enough bees to keep their crops.

Wasps and yellow jackets are a different matter altogether. Bees sting once and die. Yellow jackets just keep stinging until they're bored with you.

Thankfully you and the "kids " are okay... May I ask which soaps you used?? I deal with swarms of wasps yearly..

Bees I have no problem with...but yellow jackets specifically are mean little buggers.........

Did ya ever get around to burning the pile of timber ????..I love the smell of burnt wood......but you don't get that much around here...they have specific times, seasons and permits to do that around here...

I almost never kill a bumble bee if I can avoid it. Lately - past summers I seem to notice fewer bees and that concerns me given how much we need them for pollenation.

Yellow jackets are another species entirely and I am NOT at all fond of them. I would not kill them deliberately but if need be, would do what you have done.

The soaps you need you can find in the laundry or soap aisle. Fels Naptha and Octagon- you cut or grate the bars of soap, add the slivers to a boiling water, stir till melted and thinned and then cool down. Place in a sprayer (not a spray bottle) and hose the nest. The wasps die instantly.

Originally Posted by hissy

The soaps you need you can find in the laundry or soap aisle. Fels Naptha and Octagon- you cut or grate the bars of soap, add the slivers to a boiling water, stir till melted and thinned and then cool down. Place in a sprayer (not a spray bottle) and hose the nest. The wasps die instantly.

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This is really good info, thanks MA.

We have a had wasp problem here in the summer and the little buggers make nests in the lights above the front door. I've always been looking for something that would kill them off but be harmless to other animals.

Do you know if the soap would coat an area and make the wasps not want to come back?? I might spray the house down.... lol

I have no idea- I have this awesome book called Bug Off and the recipe was inside. Decided to try it and by golly it worked!

I don't like bees or wasps, and they sure sound scary. Glad you destroyed them MA.

Thank you Hissy ...
phels napta is great for so many things